Empire of Thaurissan
The Empire of Thaurissan was the nation founded by the Thaurissan Clan after the exodus of the Dark Iron Dwarves from Ironforge. Its capital being Shadowforge City in the depths of Blackrock Mountain, the empire stretched from the present-day Searing Gorge to the Burning Steppes. The Empire instigated the War of the Three Hammers which resulted in its lands being burnt asunder and dominated by the firelord Ragnaros and his minions from the Elemental Plane of Fire. After the Cataclysm and the death of Dagran Thaurissan I, Moria Bronzebeard swore the empire's allegiance to the Grand Alliance and took a seat on the Council of Three Hammers. Her son, Dagran Thaurissan II is the heir to both the Kingdom of Ironforge and Empire of Thaurissan. The fall of the Firelord also led to the reunification of the Thorium Brotherhood with their brethren within Blackrock Mountain, with Thorium members representing the Dark Iron Nation during the conflict on Draenor. =History= ---- Early History Like all dwarves, the Dark Irons descent from the Titan-crafted earthen constructs afflicted by the Curse of the Flesh. They lived in the deepest crevices of the city of Ironforge and, along with the Bronzebeard Clan and the Wildhammer Clan they formed the three great clans under High King Modimus Anvilmar. Following the death of the High King, the three clans erupted in civil war to take control of the city with the Bronzebeards coming out as the victors. As a result, the Wildhammers and Dark Irons were exiled from Ironforge. While the Wildhammers left to settle the Highlands of Northeron, the Dark Irons established a city within the northern steppes of the Redridge Mountains, named after Sorcerer-Thane Thaurissan. The City of Thaurissan served as the prosperous center of Dark Iron society, but the Dark Irons still held deep resentment for the Bronzebeards and Wildhammers. Sparking the second phase of the War of the Three Hammers that became known as "Thaurissan's war", they launched a dual-front assault on both Ironforge and the new Wildhammer home of Grim Batol. Both assaults were routed and Empress-consort Modgud was slain in battle against the Wildhammer. With the combined forces of the Bronzebeards and Wildhammers descending upon the Dark Iron city, Sorcerer-Thane Thaurissan attempted to summon an ancient power sleeping beneath the Redridge Mountains. Ragnaros the Firelord, immortal lord of all fire elementals, had been banished by the Titans when the world was young. Now, freed by Thaurissan's call, Ragnaros erupted into being once again. Ragnaros' apocalyptic rebirth into Azeroth shattered the Redridge Mountains and created a raging volcano at the center of the devastation. The volcano, known as Blackrock Mountain, became bordered by the Searing Gorge to the north and the Burning Steppes to the south. Though Thaurissan was killed by the forces he had unleashed, his surviving brethren were ultimately enslaved by Ragnaros and his elementals. Serving the Firelord As a result of the Sorcerer-Thane's actions, Ragnaros took his new servants into the mountain where they built a new home for themselves, Shadowforge City. The Dark Iron emperors ruled with an iron fist. They were blessed with the power of the Firelord himself and were his most powerful living servants. Several generations after the death of Sorcerer-Thane Thaurissan, his descendant Dagran Thaurissan took the throne. While Emperor Dagran delighted in the power that Ragnaros had bestowed upon him, he bristled at his servitude to the Firelord, and searched for a way to break free of his control. As such, when the Firelord ordered him to to prepare the Dark Irons for a new war against the dwarves, the Emperor was overjoyed. He had long dreamed of conquering the other dwarf clans, not only to rule over them but also to bring their combined power to bear against Ragnaros' forces and free the Dark Irons from his control. The craftsman's guild known as the Thorium Brotherhood left Blackrock Mountain of their own volition during the reign of Dagran, breaking ties with their own clansmen to seek out business relations with the Alliance and Horde after establishing Thorium Point within the northern mountains of the Searing Gorge. As a result of the Brotherhood's new trade relations they were declared enemies of the Dark Iron Empire, sending the two groups into conflict. Following the fall of Gnomeregan and the usurpation of the nation by Mekgineer Sicco Thermaplugg, who now styled himself as the "King of Gnomeregan" and ruled over the irradiated leper gnomes that remained within the city, the Empire opened relations with them and a delegation of Dark Iron agents led by a formal ambassador were sent to the irradiated city of Gnomeregan. Death of Dagran I While en route to the Redridge Mountains to aid the human township of Lakeshire against the encroaching Blackrock orcs, Princess Moira Bronzebeard was kidnapped on the orders of Emperor Dagran Thaurissan, who intended to use her as a hostage of last resort once war began. Thaurissan believed that King Magni Bronzebeard would never consider assaulting Blackrock Mountain if it meant putting Moira in harm's way. However, Thaurissan found himself falling in love with Moira; she had a sharp wit and strong will, and was not intimidated in the slightest by her predicament. The two dwarves began to speak at length about their hopes for the future, and Thaurissan confided in Moira that he wanted to free his people from enslavement and was willing to do anything to achieve that. However, the Princess had mistakenly been reported by Kharan Mighthammer, the last member of her royal escort, to be under Thaurissan's thrall through a type of thought-altering magic, and so when King Magni was informer of her supposed predicament he sent a band of adventurers to delve into the heart of the Dark Iron Nation to kill Emperor Dagran and free the Princess. To the surprise of the adventurers, she refused to accompany them and revealed that she was pregnant with a child of mixed clan blood, whom she would later name after his late father. The deaths of the Emperor and the majority of the Imperial Senate, along with the damage that had been done to Shadowforge City during the invasion, threw the Dark Iron people into chaos. However, Moira remained within the city and took over leadership of the clan, followed by forsaking the name Bronzebeard in favor of that of her late husband and would rule as Queen-Regent of the Dark Iron until her son Dagran II comes of age to be crowned emperor. The Splintering of the Dark Iron Under the leadership of Queen-Regent Moira, the Dark Irons' loyalties were split. Those who did not believe that Moira and her half-breed child were worthy of occupying the throne and those remained loyal to the Firelord followed him in his alliance with the mad aspect Deathwing and joined the Cult of the Twilight's Hammer. Those that remained loyal to Moira later jonied the Alliance after the formation of the Council of Three Hammers. While Shadowforge City remained loyal to Moira's faction of Dark Irons, her hold over the Dark Iron clan as a whole was tenuous at best and there were Twilight's Hammer agents within the faction that proclaimed loyalty to Moira. In secret these traitors gathered information on not only the other Dark Irons but also the Alliance as a whole for their Twilight masters. Amongst other machinations, the Battle of Ironforge Airfield was a false flag operation led by General Grimaxe with intel gathered by the Dark Iron Ambassador to Ironforge, Slaghammer, from within the city itself. Though the attack was routed, its political purpose was achieved: the Ironforge dwarves were left with a lack of trust for the Queen-Regent and the Dark Irons and Moira's own hold over her people was contested in front of the other members of the Council. Death of the Firelord and Reunification The final death of Ragnaros within the Firelands freed the Dark Irons from enslavement, and ultimately led to the reunification between the Dark Irons of Blackrock and the Thorium Brotherhood. Though Ragnaros was dead and eventually replaced by Smolderon, worship of the fallen Firelord continued in secret. During the escalation of the Alliance-Horde War, a Zandalari agent infiltrated Khaz Modan and rallied the Frostmane Tribe at some point following the death of the Thunder King. Hekima the Wise, Herald of Rastakhan had recruited them to the Prophet Zul's cause of creating another grand troll empire, and the forces he had amassed at Shimmer Ridge threatened to march to the gates of Ironforge. However, the Bronzebeards and Wildhammers were wary of leaving the city to deal with the threat, worried that the Dark Irons would attempt a coup while only one other faction remained. As such, the Queen-Regent personally led a Forgeguard unit alongside King Varian Wrynn to and deal with the Frostmane incursion on Shimmer Ridge and slew the Zandalari infiltrator. The actions of the Dark Irons that day led to a more open and trusting relationship between the clans, helping mend relations with the other two dwarven clans. Following this, to help promote the union of their clans the Council of Three Hammers assembled a team of architects under the Dark Iron architect Fenella Darkvire, the Bronzebeard miner Fendrig Redbeard and the Wildhammer smith Carrick Irongrin, tasking them to rebuild the Jade Serpent statue that had been demolished by the Alliance and Horde's conflict in Pandaria. The Dark Irons committed forces to the Alliance during the Iron War. Thaelin Darkanvil and Hansel Heavyhands provided demolitions and artillery expertise to the Vanguard that proved invaluable in shutting down and later destroying the Dark Portal in Tanaan Jungle, and the Dark Irons' vast knowledge of the Blackrock clan saw them be sent as forward scouts in Gorgrond, where they established the outpost of Bastion Rise. However, the scouts were ambushed and mulched by the botani the while Bastion Rise was attacked by the goren after the construction of the bunker of Moira's Bastion had them dig too far. The Legion Invasion During the Third Invasion of the Burning Legion, Dark Iron units participated in the defense of Dun Morogh under the Queen-Regent. Moira herself later joined the Conclave in its battles against the Legion during Alonsus Faol's quest to gather priests to take the Netherlight Temple, with several Dark Iron priests following in her footsteps. Renewed Commitment During the Blood War, an expedition of Dark Iron Dwarves was sent to Xibala on Zandalar, where they worked alongside the Explorer's League at the archaeological dig. Later during the war, the Dark Irons had began to experiment with Azerite on the Black Anvil. However, during their experimentations the city was breached by a task force from the Venture Company, who proceeded to destroy the Black Anvil and steal the legendary hammer Ironfoe. Alliance adventurers followed the Venture Company goons back to Kezan, taking the hammer back from Mogul Razdunk. To repair the Black Anvil, a Fragment of the Molten Core was taken to the Firelands to re-energize it, during which the existence of the Cult of Ragnaros and their goal of resurrecting Ragnaros was discovered. The Fragment of the Molten Core was then used together with some Azerite to remake and upgrade the Black Anvil. After the restoration of the Black Anvil, the Dark Iron Nation's commitment to the Alliance was renewed and their membership was made official after King Anduin Wrynn realized that their membership had never been officiated due to an oversight. =Government= ---- The Empire is ruled by the Thaurissan Clan from the Imperial Seat located deep within Shadowforge City. The throne is currently occupied by Moira Thaurissan, widow of the late Emperor Dagran Thaurissan I and daughter of King Magni Bronzebeard of Ironforge, who governs as Queen-Regent of the Dark Iron in stead of her infant son, Prince Dagran Thaurissan II. The Shadowforge Senate acts as both the executive and judicial branch of the government and assists the ruler in the governance of the Empire and ensures the enforcement and execution of its strict laws. =Economy= ---- As a result of the Empire's longstanding hostile status with most neighboring nations during the time they toiled under Ragnaros, the Dark Iron Nation has a self-sustaining economy. The majority of its raw materials originate from their mining operations within the Cauldron that are mined through slave work and then shipped to the capital to be used in crafting goods and weaponry. =Religion= ---- The Empire was formerly a center of worship for the Twilight's Hammer and the Cult of Ragnaros. Though both these faiths were outlawed following the Queen-Regent's ascension and the subsequent death of the Firelord at the hands of the Avengers of Hyjal, a following of the cults continues to permeate within the nation, with officials such as former High Justice Harrold Grimstone being a leading member of the Cult of Ragnaros. The Holy Light and the Cult of Forgotten Shadow both occupy important places in modern Dark Iron society, with soldiers of the Shadowforge Army making extensive use of both Holy and Shadow magics, and the Darkforged Crusaders are a militant order of Dark Iron paladins. The High Priest or Priestess of Thaurissan is the formal head of worship within the Dark Iron Empire. =Holdings= ---- Blackrock Mountain The capital of the Dark Iron Empire, Shadowforge City, is located within the depths of Blackrock. A marvel of craftsmanship designed by the late legendary architect Franclorn Forgewright, the streets of the Dark Iron city span throughout the entirety of the mountain. Though the Dark Iron Nation once encompassed the entirety of the mountain, the Dark Horde under Warchief Rend Blackhand and their black dragon masters wrested the upper levels of the Blackrock Spire from the Dark Irons following the Second War, renaming the upper levels of Shadowforge into "Hordemar City". They continued to fight the Dark Irons over the following years and were later reinforced by the Ironmarch Expeditionary Force of the Iron Horde during their invasion of Azeroth. Burning Steppes Once the lush home of the Dark Irons after their exile from Ironforge, the lands that would later be known as the Burning Steppes were decimated by the summoning of the Firelord Ragnaros during the War of the Three Hammers. The majority of the Steppes are now controlled by the orcs of the Dark Horde, but the ruins of the former Dark Iron capital of Thaurissan remains under Dark Iron control and is occupied by forces under Thauris Balgarr. In addition, the town of Chiselgrip was built by the Thorium Brotherhood close to the ruins. Searing Gorge While the orcs hold the Burning Steppes, the Dark Iron Empire dominates the Searing Gorge. The Cauldron is a massive mining operation located within the center of the region. Chosen to be a landmass to control for their industrious works due to a low military presence, scarce population, few settlements, and high vulnerability, the Searing Gorge was wrested from the few Bronzebeard garrisons in the area, who proceeded to retreat from the region and sealed the Stonewrought Pass. To the north of the Gorge is the Thorium Point. Once opposing the Dark Irons that served Ragnaros, the death of the Firelord led to a reunification between the Dark Irons of Blackrock and the Dark Irons of the Brotherhood. Badlands The outlying colony-outpost of Angor Fortress is the sole presence of the Dark Iron Empire in the Badlands, established after the discovery of the Titan facility of Uldaman. Ambassador Infernus oversaw the dwarves of Angor, keeping tabs on them for the master of the Firelands while Senator Galgann Firehammer was sent by the Emperor to oversee the Angor expedition's progress in countering Bronzebeard explorers and uncovering the complex's secrets. Category:Empire of Thaurissan Category:Dwarven Kingdoms Category:Thaurissan Clan Category:Thaurissan Locations Category:Places Category:Dark Iron Clans